A week later, the blonde sat in front of two women dressed in suits. Her mother was by her side with a stern look on her face. The pair looked nice enough, but Fern knew that in the end, this was business for them. She had to be respectful and professional when asking about the specifics of the contract. She had spoken to her mother repeatedly about not signing without finding out her obligations as a trainee. Earlier that day, the shorter-haired woman repeatedly reiterated to her daughter that Moen would see her as only an employee. Like any corporation, they would play dirty if she acted too naively. Hearing this made her stomach hurt, but Fern knew it was the obvious truth.

With this in mind, she noticeably hesitated to sign right away. The teenager felt intimidated by how long and detailed it all was. One of the women clarified that would receive a monthly allowance while she was training if she couldn't find a job. The label's parent company owned a nearby cafe where she could work and get free meals during the week. A handful of trainees already worked there after school and got paid hourly, with checks coming every two weeks. Even if she wasn't chosen for the debut lineup but stayed a trainee, they would always ensure this for her. When she asked about the debut itself, things got a little messy. The pair looked at one another and her mother's gaze turned even darker as they waited.

"The debut team currently has gone over five lineups over the past three years. There is no set number of members, however, we hope you could be a vocalist." One of the women, a squeaky-voiced brunette, said.

Fern hummed as this was explained somewhat in the acceptance email. "I guess I'll be competing against the other trainees to be selected then? If I don't become a vocalist, could I become the group's rapper?"

The other woman, with dark skin who looked middle-aged, answered this time. "Possibly. Debut is not a guarantee at the moment, no matter how much skill a single trainee has. But, a rapper position is also open. You just need to train more to be considered."

Fern found herself nodding along to both of their words despite the fact her mother seemed conflicted. It was a non-fact in the audition world that you were never guaranteed anything. There is always going to be someone who can sing louder than you, who can dance in sync longer than you and can impress the audience easier than you. Life as a trainee was a game of cat and mouse, but you were going to be the mouse for as long as possible. The only time this wasn't the case was if you had someone higher up in the food chain who could push for your success. Fern was someone new, so this wasn't the case. Especially if the debut team had changed so much. Even if she got into the lineup, they could easily replace her. This scared her but also made her determination much greater.

"My daughter is nearing her twenties and I've learned you typically cut girls around that age." Fern watched her mother step in and take control of the ‌conversation. The atmosphere shifted with her as it became clear the discussion was becoming much more serious.

The woman was domineering as she leaned forward to look the pair directly in the woman’s eyes. "Can you two explain to me what protects her mental health if this happens? Do you have anything in this contract that tells me she'll be well cared for if she's cut?"

The blonde wanted to cover her face with her arms and hide. It wasn’t like the questions her mother was asking were ridiculous. She was really happy that her mother was taking the time to really dig into what she was jumping into. But it felt weird hearing it all out loud from someone else’s mouth for the first time. Fern knew that she was pretty old for a trainee. She wasn’t a pre-teen or a sixteen-year-old. The blonde was old enough to be on her own, drive a car, and go across the entire nation to attend college. It really worried her now that she would stick out like a sore thumb once she stepped into the training camp.

The others had to have spent years preparing for this in professional environments. She had been dancing to videos in her bedroom and singing whenever she was home alone. They attended vocal lessons taught by teachers with decades of experience. Or they trained at other companies in different parts of eastern and southern Asia where the trainee systems had been developed better. Fern was starting to feel extremely small as the conversation continued with the pair scrutinizing her. She could see from the look in their eyes they saw both potential and waste of time. With all this in mind, the teen anxiously listened to their answer.

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"It is true we have a desired age limit for the group. Fern is nearing it however, her talent is incredible. Our current vision would look past her age when the time comes. They will try to help her pursue music further, even if she is cut from the trainee pool." Hearing this made the teen release the sigh she had been holding in. It was a blessing that they wouldn’t send her home if she didn’t debut.

Now she felt a bit more comfortable to ask her own question. Fern cleared her throat and looked back and forth between the two as she spoke. “Will that be with the company, or will you all be able to help me find another record label to sign with?” She stumbled over her words at the end due to her nerves.

Because what she was asking now got into the nitty gritty of it all. Some companies would swap trainee contracts with others and it wasn't exactly illegal or legal to participate in. This wasn't something that was done too often. Sure, you'd have a trainee switching to an agency's sub-label, but that was still the same parent company, meaning nothing unorthodox was going on. What she was alluding to was whether they would ever sell her trainee contract to an unrelated label managed by a whole new team of people. Fern found herself unsure of whether she wanted that to happen. Part of her didn't as they would be bending the law and could disrupt her entire career with shady behaviors. But she also knew it was happening would be a chance to make her debut faster and easier.

The darker-skinned woman reached out and grabbed a hold of her hand. Fern jumped, but the touch wasn't forceful but reassuring. "We won't do anything with your contract without talking it over with a lawyer present on your side. Especially if you're under the age of twenty-one, as in some areas of the business, you're still considered a minor."

This was a comfort to Fern and while her mother still looked cautious, the woman moved off of the topic and let her sign.

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"I will call and text you the entire way there, Mom. I love you." A teary-eyed Fern muttered as she watched her mother load in her suitcase into the car's trunk. She felt like she was in a dream with her entire family, having come to send her off the night before.

After signing the contract and talking about her future, the woman told Fern that she would be leaving the next day. This was so sudden she was sure that she would faint from hearing the news. It was clear that the label wanted her to join the other new trainees as soon as possible to begin learning the basics. From what they were saying, the debut lineup desperately needed a vocalist, and Fern could become that. This left the blonde having to arrange a goodbye party for that following morning. Her friends were shocked, and some seemed upset she was leaving so soon, but she swore to contact them whenever she could. The blonde was going to need their support once this all began.

Her mother closed the trunk and turned around. Fern's heart dropped as she saw that her mother was crying, her chest moving up and down as she sniffled. This was tearing the middle-aged woman apart, and she felt so guilty. But this was the best chance she had at making it in the music industry, so she couldn’t let this chance go. Her mother came over and took the teenager into her arms. She held the blonde tightly against her chest, sniffling as she stood there in the middle of the driveway with a pained expression on her face. The silence was suffocating, and Fern decided to comfort her mother the best she could. Her arms wrapped around her mother, ‌squeezing her just as tightly.

“I’ll see you at Thanksgiving, okay Mom? They said I can visit you then and on Christmas.” She said only for her mother to tear up some more and pull away to compose herself.

“Thanksgiving is months away,” which was the truth as it was barely even the summer and that was all the way to the end of fall. Her mother took a deep inhale and smiled. It wasn’t a real one, but she could tell her mother. Every fiber was trying to be okay. “Just have fun and don’t worry about me.”

Fern sighed. “Mom…”

Her mother shook her head and grabbed her shoulders, looking her in the eye. “No. Don’t let my feelings ruin your experience. Enjoy your time with the other girls and make some friends. This should not be a job to you, as they are not paying you to be there. Let it be like camp, alright?”

“Alright.”